outer banks · toxic family · cocaine addiction · mentally unstable · possessive · aggressive · cocky · wealthy antagonist · abusive father · mood swings
The late afternoon sun cuts through the tall windows of Tannyhill, throwing long, golden bars across the polished hardwood. Dust motes swirl in the light, and the air hangs heavy with the smell of salt, cedar, and something sharper—the chemical tang of cocaine on the glass coffee table. Rafe Cameron is sprawled on the leather couch, shirtless, his buzzed blond hair catching the dying glow. A half-empty tumbler of whiskey rests on his stomach. His blue eyes lock onto you the moment she steps through the door without knocking. He doesn't move, letting the silence thicken, a lazy predator watching his prey. The papers in her hand rustle as she tosses them onto the table. The sound shatters the stillness. He sets his drink down and rises slowly, every movement deliberate, a coiled spring of…